When hope seemed lost, they did not give up, because Ginny Weasley had a plan. With a heart full of a dark love, she would venture back and change everything, because nothing she did could make the future any worse than it was.

Ginny
watched Tom go with mixed feelings: relief that her plan had worked,
and happiness that she had finally, for the first time seen what he
looked like in person; there was also exasperation with herself for
the stupid thing she had just done, hugging Dumbledore right in front
of Tom. Tom hated Dumbledore. She knew that better than anyone.

Tom had long ago described how
Dumbledore would follow him around like he was a criminal. She found
out afterwards that he was a criminal, a horrible one at that, but
her heart still ached for him.

Ginny didn't know how
Dumbledore could have started treating Tom so horribly from day one.
She thought that the story was rather one-sided. She had many times
pondered that Dumbledore may have had a very good reason for treating
Tom the way he did, but Ginny's dreams, which usually included Tom,
reminded her of the horrible part of him the part that had taken over
her mind when she was only eleven, and the one she knew was beneath
that, the one she knew he was when he spoke to her about his
childhood and she related hers. She knew when she had made this plan
the both sides of him, but she loved the side she had met in the
diary and she knew that if she used all she knew about him to her
advantage, she could make him stop doing what was about to ruin his
life.

Ginny
felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, clutching the warm cloak
closer to her, but a more serious face of Dumbledore met her. She
reluctantly moved away from Hagrid, who was bravely telling the
cameramen to leave her alone.

Dumbledore
led her to the fireplace. "Transfiguration office, Hogwarts," he
said, seriously, and she knew it wasn't just a statement. It was a
command. He put a bit of floo powder in her hand and nudged her
towards the fire. "Hagrid, would you like to join us for a cup of
tea?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly. "Sure I would, professor!"
Hagrid said, brightly. "I'll go first, shall I?" he asked,
brightly, accepting some floo powder from the transfiguration
professor. Hagrid squeezed into the fireplace and said,
"Transfiguration Office, Hogwarts!" in a gruff voice.

Ginny
followed, repeating his words and found herself spinning. She was
spat out of the fireplace roughly, and nearly fell, but Hagrid caught
her, steadying her.

"You
have to be careful about Professor Dumbledore's fireplace. It's
got a kick to it," Hagrid told her.

Ginny nodded and watched as the
former-headmaster… no the future-headmaster walked calmly out of
the fireplace, and walked to his desk, saying pleasantly, "Lemon
drop?"

Ginny
shook her head, unsteadily. "So, Miss…"

"Wesley,"
Ginny said. She had already come up with an alias before leaving.
They had been careful to cover all parts of this move. "My name is
Ginette Wesley." (Yes, to those who have read my story Look How
the Hourglass Turns, it is the same alias. I couldn't help it.
It's just so practical a fake name for her… it's so… Ginny.)

"A
good name that is, strong, stable," the professor said, idly,
before leaning forward over his desk from his seat to look at her.
"Tell me, Miss Wesley what happened to you?"

Ginny
took an envelope out of her pocket. They had been afraid someone
might be present when she needed to explain the situation to
Dumbledore, who, they decided, would be the only person to know who
Ginette Wesley truly was.

Hagrid
watched the exchange frowning.

"Ah,
yes, I was aware you were a witch, Miss Wesley," Dumbledore said,
as the letter instructed. "Your certificate of birth to a
wizarding hospital was not needed for that."

Hagrid
curiosity faded as his question was answered. He sat on Dumbledore's
large Gryffindor-red couch, taking up most of it himself, while Ginny
had placed herself in front of the professor's desk.

"Your
story, dear," Dumbledore continued as the letter also instructed.

"I
am from a muggle orphanage. I sold everything I had left from my
mother and father and got enough money to buy a wand, years ago. I
sneak away regularly to get books so that I could learn magic. I
knew they threw away all my letters of acceptance from Hogwarts. I…
they found me studying," Ginny cast her eyes down.

"Studying
magic, you mean?" Albus said, eyes scanning the letter again as if
he could not believe what it said there, explaining how Ginny was
from a future where Tom Riddle had practically destroyed the
wizarding world after once being defeated and had killed Dumbledore.
It explained her plan and a bit of her background, but what was most
important that he paid the most attention to was the part about a
diary, a diary that had been able the ruin a girl's life. A diary
created by Tom Riddle that had almost led to his first rebirth. How
had that young man done such horrible things? Dumbledore didn't
trust him, but to become worse than the Dark Lord Grindelwald?

"Yes,
they were so angry. I… they, they're muggles you see and they
don't-"

"I
understand dear," Dumbledore said, gently, putting the parchment
aside. He patted a hand that she had rested on his desk.

"I'm
alive, though," Ginny said, proudly. "Three miles to the Leaky
Cauldron and I made it," Ginny easily feigned tears by letting her
mind linger on what she had really survived.

"Who
was that boy?" Ginny asked, in a soft, questioning voice, timid and
quiet, which was her nature so that was easily feigned.

"That
was Thomas Riddle that was. He's a great man, great man," Hagrid
said, in a choked up voice. He was so obviously buying her story,
Ginny was glad to note, knowing he'd run straight to Tom and tell
him the story.

"Thank
him for me will you? I owe him my life," Ginny asked in a soft
voice. Dumbledore frowned, she had not mentioned the part of the
plan of what she was going to change. It dawned on him… she was
going to attempt to seduce the smartest, most evil young man to come
through Hogwarts to the light side…

"Oh
dear, I've forgotten the tea. It will make you feel much more
comfortable dear, I assure you. "Binny," Dumbledore said in a
louder tone. A house elf popped up and Dumbledore began to instruct
it quietly.

Ginny suddenly burst into tears,
sobs racking through her body, surprising both of the people in the
room. Without meaning to, Dumbledore had reminded her of Hermione
and SPEW. Hermione, who had been alive when Ginny had left, was
still lost to her now. She felt herself in Hagrid's clumsy embrace
and was glad for it. He was kneeling at her side, hugging her where
she sat in her chair.

When
Ginny had finally calmed down, the house elf had left and come back
and disappeared again, leaving a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Sorry,
just thinking of a friend," Ginny said with a little hiccup.

"Of
course," Dumbledore gave her a gentle smile.

Ginny
watched Hagrid make his way towards the couch and frowned. "Hagrid,
there's a chair."

"I
won't fi' in tha'," Hagrid said, bashfully.

"Nonsense,
let me see your wand," Ginny said, holding out her hand. Hagrid
stood and handed it to her. She cast a spell on the chair, which
didn't look to have changed at all.

"Sit
on it… trust me," Ginny said. He hesitantly sat on the chair.
It creaked slightly, but magically it was able to fit his frame.

Ginny
handed Hagrid his wand with a small, sad smile. Dumbledore, with a
smile on his face, placed a cup of steaming tea in front of each of
them.

"So,
Miss Wesley, you're planning on taking up at Hogwarts then? It's
obvious you have the magical ability, having received a letter
already," Dumbledore said.

"Oh
that can easily be dealt with, dear. Hogwarts does have a
scholarship program for students unable to come up with their own
money," Dumbledore said. "Do you know anything of your family?
If I had to guess, I'd think you were a distant relative of the
Weasleys," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I
have heard of him in the magical library I sneak away to," Ginny
murmured. "I have only heard his name though, not much else."

"Miss
Wesley, Grindelwald is the single greatest threat to the
newly-established Ministry of Magic. He wants to bring down the
government and segregate the muggle-borns and half-bloods to schools
separate of purebloods. He kills Ministry Officials and anyone who
opposes his ideas. He had connections everywhere, even in Hogwarts,
I'm afraid, contacts I can do nothing about," Dumbledore
explained. Ginny looked down.

"So…
I might have to go to a different place?" Ginny asked.

"No,
ye're a full-blooded wizard!" Hagrid informed her.

"How
would you know that?" Ginny asked, surprised.

Hagrid
smiled. "Tom made a spell and whenever 'e meets 'nyone 'e
says it to be a'le to tell if they is a wizard or not. It also
shows if they are muggle-born, half blood, or full-blooded wizard.
When he said the spell, your wand hand glowed blue, the color for
purebloods," Hagrid said. "Tom says it's his spell to be on
his guard around anyone who might be working for Grindelwald."

"Indeed…"
Albus said, darkly.

"He
sounds so smart," Ginny said, faintly.

"'e
is. Tom is a genius!" Hagrid said, beaming, proudly at having such
a great young man as his friend. "'e's so great 'e is,"
Hagrid beamed.

"Well,
my dear, we'd best get you registered for the new year at Hogwarts.
Sixth year?" Albus asked, hintingly. Ginny nodded her head to
him.

"You're
in Tom's year!" Hagrid said excitedly. "What are you studying
to be?"

"I
have always wanted to be a healer," Ginny said, shyly.

"Sorted?"
Albus asked, standing and walking to the sorting hat.

Ginny
looked at the hat, reproachfully, knowing where it would want to put
her, but she couldn't have that. She knew Tom and he was all right
with being friends with a Gryffindor, but… no, it just wouldn't
do.

Ginny
stiffened as the hat was placed on her head. "Hello, another
Wea-oh sorry, Wesley," The hat spoke directly into her mind. "My,
my you're quite bent on this aren't you? Who wouldn't be with
such a bleak future ahead? Tom Riddle, eh? You should be careful
with that one," the hat told her.

"Can
you please just sort me?" Ginny asked, exhaustedly.

"Fine,
fine, not that you haven't heard this before I see. Yes, I see.
You asked the be a Gryffindor," the hat said. "Ah yes, decisions
really do make the person. You have acquired a special gift since we
last met, haven't you?" the hat asked, a smile in his voice.

"I
didn't ask for it," Ginny thought, testily.

"No,
no, but you deserved it. You would have been a Slytherin, you know?
That's what I wanted to make you. I can see your mind. You want
to step out from the shadow of those brothers of yours, do you? It's
a good thing your parents aren't even born yet, isn't it?" the
hat told her, mentally, letting out a loud bark of a laugh.

"Slytherin,
then?" Ginny thought to him.

"Your
mind is very strong, bent on succeeding… most Slytherins are very
strong-minded when it comes to the tasks set before them and there's
a rebellious streak in you, not to mention that you've grown much
more wary since we last met, or since we will meet," the hat
corrected. "But then I see your loyalty, your honesty, your
purity…" the hat said, reluctantly.

"You
do like words that end in T-Y don't you?" Ginny muttered.

"I
can't decide. It's a draw: Slytherin and Hufflepuff. I haven't
had had such a difficult decision to make in three decades," the
hat pondered. "Professor, she is a split," the hat spoke aloud.

The
headmaster took the hat from Ginny's head placing it on its shelf.
"Between what two houses?" the headmaster asked it.

"Hufflepuff
and Slytherin, I can honestly say in all the millennia I have been in
existence I haven't come across one who fit between those two,"
the hat stated.

"Thank
you hat," Dumbledore said, pleasantly.

"Of
course. Good luck with that one," the hat said, with a twisted
smile on his grizzled seam.

"Sir,
shouldn't the hat be in the Headmaster's office?" Ginny asked,
as the professor seated himself.

"Why
yes, actually, but the Headmaster allows me to keep it in my office.
I have quite a few wonderful conversations with the Sorting hat,"
the headmaster said.

"Call
me Ginny-Gin," Ginny corrected. Ginny didn't want to be called
by the name all her fallen comrades had called her. She was starting
a new life. Why not a new nickname to start that, even if it wasn't
much of a change...

"A'
'ight then. I'll see ya Gin!" Hagrid said, cheerily, walking
to the fireplace. He nodded to the transfiguration professor,
disappearing into the green flames.

"1999?"
Dumbledore's questioning voice brought her eyes away from the
fireplace and she nodded, resolving to explain her past one more time
before it faded away, ceasing to exist forever if Ginny could help
it.

Lady
Lestrange: Ya, sh, but I did that accidental thing in one of my sshg
fics, but don't tell. Ya, but Hermione wasn't really confused…
so fifty percent right?

Damia:
thank you, I hope that promise turns into somethin' better, because
I'm really not good at t/g fics. I've tried a few, but ended up
only putting this one up… oh well.

Tina:
thanks, you helped a lot on the Grindelwald thing. Your idea gave me
an idea. He's trying to segregate them, like they did in the early
nineteen hundreds with blacks in America. You know different schools
for muggle-borns, but not half bloods. I'll go into it more.
Thank you so much. You are my inspiration!

Key
of F Major: he's not really a bad guy, but he's going to do a
fair few stupid things in my story, hehe.

Nasta:
Really? I hadn't even thought about Hagrid teen stories being
rare. I just kind of wrote him in there as I would have seen him at
thirteen.

Txgrl:
Nah, I don't really believe in the parallel between Hitler and
Grindlewald, because that would most likely make him more terrifying
than Voldemort and in the future they would mention him more on top
of the fact that Voldemort was the biggest evil in a century not just
half of one, but thank you for the suggestion

Chantal:
Thanks bundles. Toodloo.

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